A Florida man has been accused of killing a couple and their two children before burning their remains in a fire pit.
Rory John Graeme Atwood, 25, of Hudson, Florida, was arrested on 15 June and has been charged with at least one count of first-degree murder, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said.
On 13 June, sheriff’s deputies began searching for a young couple and their children after they were last seen near Nottingham Trail in Hudson, Florida, late in the evening on 12 June.
The couple were identified as Rain Mancini, 26, and Phillip Zilliot II, 25. Their children were identified as Karma Zilliot, six, and Phillip Zilliot III, five.
Atwood's sister-in-law reportedly called law enforcement after he called her husband to ask for his help in "burning trash." She told deputies that her husband "observed a puddle of blood and could see adult and child bodies over the video phone call."
According to court records, the young family lived with Atwood on his 10-acre property in Hudson, approximately 44 miles northwest of Tampa, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
When deputies arrived to question Atwood, he confirmed the identities of the missing family. He said a fight broke out between himself, Zilliot, and Mancini, which ended with their deaths, the sheriff’s office reported He also reportedly confirmed that he burned their bodies in a fire pit.
The fight occurred after Atwood evicted the family from his residence on 1 June. He told deputies that they had stopped paying their rent.
On 12 June, the family returned to the property to gather their belongings. The adults had allegedly been drinking when the fight broke out. Atwood told deputies that Mancini was arguing with him and that Zilliot attacked him with a knife, according to WFLA.
He then said he disarmed Zilliot, who punched him in the head and grabbed a handgun that had "suddenly" appeared in the room, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Atwood said the men struggled for the gun, which ended with him firing two shots into Zilliot's head, and added that Mancini had also been shot numerous times in the head and torso.
When asked why the children were dead, Atwood reportedly told law enforcement that he did not know and did not see the children after the fight, but speculated that their parents had killed them. However, deputies noted that Atwood knew the children’s remains were in the fire pit along with their parents.
Detectives claim that Atwood dragged the bodies to his firepit, and also tossed the gun and his bloodstained couch into the pit to destroy evidence.
During a search of the property this weekend, cadaver dogs found human remains in the fire pit. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said the medical examiner's office had not positively identified the remains, so Atwood is only charged with the first degree murder of a "John Doe," according to the Miami Herald.
Atwood pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on 17 June. He is being held without bond at the Land O'Lakes Jail.
